


Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

by KaranWinchester



Series: The Road to Calamity: Far Cry 5 Stories [2]
Category: Far Cry (Video Games), Far Cry 5, Far Cry Absolution - Urban Waite
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alpha John Seed, Alpha Joseph Seed, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bliss (Far Cry), Creepy Joseph Seed, Deputy | Judge (Far Cry) Backstory, Emotional Manipulation, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Flirting, Gun Violence, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Manipulation, Mates, Multi, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Faith Seed, Omega Verse, Original Character is Deputy | Judge (Far Cry), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Polyamory, Polyseed (Far Cry), Pre-Far Cry 5, Project at Eden's Gate, Reader is Deputy | Judge (Far Cry), Reader-Insert, Seven Deadly Sins, Slow Burn, The Grill Streak, Werewolf Culture, Werewolf Mates, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:13:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24509734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaranWinchester/pseuds/KaranWinchester
Summary: From the outside Hope County, Montana was a fairly small and quiet place nestled in the shadow of the White Tail Mountains. It was a paradise for those who wanted to live an easy life free from the rest of the world. It was the perfect place to plant the seeds of something horrible. Something only you could see, something people were too stupid to realize. The seeds that were forcibly planted into the dirt were bound to bloom something monstrous.  Something otherworldly.
Relationships: Deputy | Judge/Jacob Seed, Deputy | Judge/John Seed, Deputy | Judge/Joseph Seed, Jacob Seed/Original Female Character(s), Jacob Seed/Reader, Jacob Seed/You, John Seed/Original Female Character(s), John Seed/Reader, John Seed/You, Joseph Seed/Reader, Joseph Seed/You, Kim Rye/Nick Rye
Series: The Road to Calamity: Far Cry 5 Stories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1112820
Comments: 31
Kudos: 58





	1. Bare Dirt

**Author's Note:**

> Some of you may be asking if I'm abandoning my other work. I am not. I will continue to write for both of my stories I just came up with another idea for Far Cry 5. It's still an omegaverse story because I will forever be obsessed with this au. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Also, this is sort of a birthday present to me and I felt like we need more things to enjoy now that the world is going to hell and we honestly don't know what's going to happen. 
> 
> Thank you guys so much for being this patient with me and my numerous schemes. It means the world to me! And like always, give me some feedback on what I could do better or what I did alright, where you wanna see this whole mess go, or something you just don’t understand. I also really want to know what your theories are for the coming story. I always love reading your guys' analyses.

When people imagined small-town America, they would instantly think of a tiny general store, maybe a white church. Large pastures that held grazing cattle. Hope County was the very definition of small-town America. It had a tight-knit community filled with very unique characters. Doomsday preppers, anarchists, and conspiracy theorists. It didn’t take long to notice these people. The County was full of them. You knew the moment you stepped into The Hope County’s Sheriff’s Department that things were different in your little piece of Montana.

You grew up in Fall’s End. Your parents lived here, hell, your father was even a Deputy. Your mother ran the Spread Eagle with a close friend Irene Fairgrave. Your childhood was filled with tales from your father. It was mainly him stopping the bad guy and saving the day. You and your mother both knew most of them were fake. Nothing ever happened in the sleepy town of Fall’s End. 

The only bad thing that seemed to happened was your mother’s illness. It came in October as simple fatigue. She grew tired more often and she felt pain in her shoulder. The pain got worse as time went on and Aunt Irene finally took her to see a doctor, it was too late. She waited too long. She had stage-4 Chondrosarcoma, bone cancer. They tried chemo but it didn’t take well and she passed away the next summer. Your father wasn’t far behind to say it better. He had a fatal heart attack and died in the hospital. 

You were only eleven when this happened. You understood what happened but your growing mind still didn’t understand that they weren’t coming back. You watched them get buried together, but you still held up hope it was a lie. A sick joke. You had nowhere to go so one of your dad’s coworkers adopted you. Earl Whitehorse was roughly in his early forties and all his children had moved out. He bought everything new for your bedroom in his ranch house. You had taken to calling him pop-pop. He really felt like a grandfather to you and he raised you as if you were his own.

When you graduated high school, you knew what you wanted to do. You wanted to be a deputy like your dad. You wanted to make him proud even if he wasn’t here. When you went to the academy outside the county you felt off. All these hotshots in your class made you feel weak. You felt like they pointed and laughed as you walked by. Look at the country bumpkin! There’s no fucking way a farmer could be a police officer! You hated your time at the academy. It felt like no one was on your side. 

When you finally graduated it felt like you were on top of the world. Pop-pop came to see you and both of you celebrated by having wings and a beer at the Spread Eagle. Nothing had made you happier when you got your uniform and badge. Rook was proudly displayed on a silver name tag and Staci Pratt became your partner. Staci mainly dragged you everywhere he went, you had no say in the matter.

You got comfortable being his partner. Everyone seemed nice. Especially Joey Hudson who invited you to drinks the moment you closed the door behind you. Her partner, Danny was odd. He seemed very religious, always had a crucifix around his neck. He was very into playing bible music in his joint office. Nancy seemed very motherly. She made a routine of bringing doughnuts into work from a bakery in town. You absolutely loved her for it. You were the first one in the break room as soon as you saw her minivan park. 

You shared a tiny office with Staci and he was a mess. His paperwork was scattered everywhere and he always left his empty monster cans on the floor. Other than that, he was only an asshole 70% of the time. 

\------

Today was a very slow day compared to most days. There was no paperwork to file nor did you feel like sorting the archives for the fifth time. You sat at your desk, playing with a wad of paper. Stacy sat at his desk downing another energy drink while his hands could barely function from the other sugar. It was absolutely silent as you went about your day. Nancy had come in that day with donuts and they were gone, so you couldn’t really eat your boredom away like you usually would. Something felt odd about the silence. It made your insides flutter and sweat began to drip from your (h/c) hair. 

Something definitely felt wrong about today. Was there gonna be a big robbery or shoot out? Nah, those things never fucking happen here. A sudden knock on the door startled you from your thoughts. Joey peeked her head through the crack and gave you a smile and then looked over to Staci. He didn’t seem to notice her, stuck in his own world like usual. “Staci!” Joey suddenly yelled. He flinched and dropped his can to the floor. The green liquid spilled out onto linoleum.

“What the fuck Joey!” Staci just looked annoyed as he looked at the now spilled drink. Some of it soaked into his green uniform and pants. Joey held back a snicker as Staci reached for the tissues on his desk as his cheeks flushed red. You had to look away before you burst out laughing.

“Don’t be a damn baby, Staci. Clean yourself up and come meet me and (Y/N) in the lobby. These three weirdos came in asking for a permit to carry and Whitehorse isn’t happy.” Joey looked at you from the doorway and waved you over. You followed behind her down the small hallway and she opened the door to the tiny lobby. You could hear the yelling already. It sounded like Pops and a random male voice. 

Pops never really got angry. He had control over his nonexistent temper. If he was really going at it, whoever this guy is must be a prick. There was indeed three weird-looking strangers arguing over the dispatcher desk. Nancy could do nothing but go back and forth between Whitehorse and a wealthy-looking man. His blue eyes were slitts and his beard covered lips were pulled back in a scowl. A handgun was placed on the desk with the safety on.

Two other men stood beside them. One had his hair pulled back into a man bun like a fucking hipster and his lips were pulled into an uneasy smile. The other sent a shiver down your spine and not a good one. He made you feel uneasy as his blue eyes roamed over you and Joey. His red hair was brushed to the side and he too had a full beard. What were these guys? Millennials? The redhead continued to watch you two as you made your way beside Pops, their conversation stopping for a brief second.

Whitehorse took a deep breath in and closed his eyes for just a moment. “I’m sorry, but I can’t validate your permit without a criminal records background.” 

The irritated looking of the three narrowed his eyes even more than before. He opened his big mouth but the man-bun stopped him. “I’m so sorry about this sir. My brothers and I just moved here from Georgia and we’re still new to these parts, please forgive us for our rudeness.” The man slowly let go of his brother’s shoulder and pulled out a card. 

“This has my phone number and name, I’ll have someone be in contact with you about John’s criminal records background.” He handed the business card to Nancy who looked at it with an odd expression on her face. “God bless you.” All three of them walked out without another word, But the red-haired brother gave you one last look before getting into the white truck outside. 

“Do those three give you the creeps or what?” Joey commented as she took the business card from Nancy. She scanned over the info and passed it to you. Joseph Seed, an odd name. His cell-phone number was underneath but what was weird was the symbol in the corner. It stood out with black ink against the white paper. It looked like a cross and a name was underneath it. “The Project at Eden’s Gate, huh.” The name sounded odd on your tongue. It felt uneasy to you. Anxiety began to build in your system at what these men could possibly be. 

You had never seen those three before or heard of them. They must have just moved. “Did you say the Project at Eden’s Gate? I know those guys, they bought a run-down church near the Henbane. They call it, “Eden’s Convent”. Don’t know what they want with that piece of shit but they seem to keep to themselves.” Staci’s voice pierced through the silence as he walked in, still dabbing the energy drink on his pants. 

Pops said nothing as he lifted his hat and gave his head a scratch in thought. “Whatever they want, they’re gonna have to do it legally. Nancy, keep an eye on those three for me. They’re gonna go snoopin’.” It took you good second to realize he was talking about Stacy, Joey, and you and not the three stooges that walked out minutes ago. What the fuck? Did he not trust you or something? It made you kinda upset to hear someone you looked up to for so long say that. Especially when it was your adopted grandpa. 

The anxiety from before slipped away as you forgot about the three brothers as the day went on. It didn’t feel like your own thoughts were torturing you for once. You got a good night’s sleep without any nightmares to scare you awake, but there was still this tugging in your chest. No matter how much you tried to clear your head, it didn’t go away. It felt like something bad was going to happen. Like, really bad.

\------

A week went by before the feeling returned. Pops had just pulled into the parking lot when it felt like a stab to the gut. A little voice inside your head was begging you to turn around, but you just ignored it. When you finally got to your desk you locked it away in the deepest part of you mind and filled your fear with a cream-filled doughnut and a cup of coffee. 

You slumped into your chair, staring at the computer screen as it took forever to boot up. It felt like it was mocking you by making your day worse. You would look up every once and a while from the screen to the window. Half expecting someone to be there. Only there wasn’t, just fields and cows. Before you knew it, it felt like tie was passing at the speed of light. 8 A.M. became 10. 

“-N)... (Y/N)! You awoke with a yelp and glared at Staci. He hastily took his hand away, as if you were going to bite his fingers off. You had considered it many times, with him being such a fucking asshole. There deserved to be less of him. 

“What Staci? What the fuck do you want?” You rubbed the sleep away from your eyes as you stretched your legs in your uncomfortable chair. You hadn’t even realized you had fallen asleep. Staring at absolutely nothing was hard work.

“The old man wants us to check out a disturbance at the Spread Eagle. One of the guys from a week ago is harassing everyone.” This was a shock to you. Pops didn’t send you and Staci on any calls before. He says he didn’t trust Staci enough to do his job, but since you were just a Junior Deputy, you couldn’t do it by yourself.

“What about Joey and Danny?” Weren’t they capable enough to do this? Joey was good at her job, but Danny was a different story.

“They’re on another call.” You only nodded and gathered your stuff. You put a can off pepper spray into your belt. You couldn’t have a gun, but Staci could. You had wondered what idiot gave him the approval to carry a deadly weapon. You had wished in the past that whoever they were, they were in jail for giving out false permits. 

“Alright, let’s go.” You both walked out of the station and made the small walk to the Spread Eagle. Staci opened the door and the bell rang. Both Mary May and one of the brothers, the rich looking one, turned towards both of you. Mary May looked pissed and the Seed brother only smirked when he saw you two walk in.

“Really, Mary? You called the police on me? Haven’t I been a decent customer?” His tone was cocky as he sat back in one of the stools. His expensive-looking coat was tossed over the bar and his tattooed hands were gripping onto a stack of contracts. His hands crumpled the papers as his smirk widened. His mouth said one thing but his eyes said another. He looked like an absolute asshat. A spoiled baby. It made sense now, this little shit wanted a fucking audience. He was a god damn performer.

He gave you an uneasy feeling just like his redheaded brother. But it wasn’t from being uncomfortable, it was the feeling of dread. Like he could crush your puny existence with the snap of his well-manicured fingers.

“My normal customers don’t threaten me! You’re not getting this fucking bar, John. Now, why don’t you hightail it out of my town before Widowmaker runs your ass over.” Mary May wasn’t someone to mess with especially when she had her mom’s temper. Maybe that’s why Irene and your mom got along so well. 

Both of them had pictures on the counters behind the bar. A vase of fresh daisies was next to them. When you saw the picture, it felt like she was still here protecting you. Like a guardian angel. 

When you were trash as a deputy, you thought of your dad. He would be so proud of you, you just knew he was with mom. Where ever they were, they were happy. It still felt so fresh and to have someone like John Seed try to tear that away from you made you feel as angry as Mary May.

“Let’s not get too hasty. How about I add another zero to the offer?” John pulled out a checkbook from his pocket and started to write. Your eyes started to get wider as the number got bigger. This guy must have been loaded. Great, a rich and spoiled scumbag. 

You also noticed the symbol from before, the cross, was on the checks. But, instead of the name John Seed, John Duncan was printed on them instead. What the fuck was going on? It felt like a big conspiracy theory was unraveling and you had to know the truth. 

The name Seed was something that made you feel sick. It sent shivers down your spine and your forehead broke out into cold sweats. It felt like you were doubting yourself when you heard the name. Like was a lie. It made your anxiety flare up again and it constricted your lungs. Were you going to have an anxiety attack in the middle of a call? Just your fucking luck.

“For the last time, I don’t want your fucking money!” Mary May hiss and brought a pistol out from under the bar and sat it right on his papers. John’s brown hair stood up on the back of his neck. He glared down at the contracts and brought the papers up to Mary’s eye level as he ripped them clean down the middle. He stood up from the stool, grabbing his coat jacket and stuffed the pieces into his pocket.

A voice yelled from above as the sound of boots stomping on wooden stairs echoed in the now silent bar “Get out of my bar, Seed. Go home and cry to Joe and Jake and tell them Gary said fuck off.” Gary Fairgrave walked down from the apartment above the bar, a shotgun in hand. He pointed it right at John. His nose flared out in rage as he stepped back out of Gary’s line of fire. 

His blue eyes seemed to switch to something darker, something red. You blinked and the red was gone. His eyes were blue once again but filled with more anger than you’ve ever seen in a person. His neck took on a deep shade of pink that worked its way up to his cheeks. It looked like he was gonna pop a blood vessel. 

“Woah, we don’t need anyone dying here.” You finally stepped in while Staci stood there with his mouth hung open. John looked over to you and his blue eyes softened just a bit before going back to glaring at Gary.

“You’ll regret this Fairgrave.” John stomped to the door and slammed it shut behind him, almost breaking it off the hinges. His threat sounded real. Not like the bluff most people gave. It wasn’t an empty threat. You just didn’t know him at all, you couldn’t tell if he would act on it. As if you didn’t find him creepy enough, he was making googly eyes at you. And the red eyes didn’t help either. You tried to tell yourself it was just a trick of the light. Like a camera flash. 

But deep down you knew it wasn’t a light trick. This was real and it already felt like hell.


	2. Planting Seeds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peace doesn't seem to come easy for you. Especially if you see Staci and John almost every day. It was only a matter of time before you were invited to see one of Joseph's sermons. Something seen as a sign of faith isn't. It isn't peaceful or religious. It's demanding with a hint of truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter is out. I feel very free more with this story than my others. But don't worry, another chapter of On the Front Line will be out soon. It's just fun to write this sort of stuff and I feel happier while doing it. Thank you all for your love and support while I write trash and sip tea. It means the world to me! And like always, give me some feedback on what I could do better or what I did alright, where you wanna see this whole mess go, or something you just don’t understand. I also really want to know what your theories are for the coming story. I always love reading your guys' analyses.

There wasn’t a week that went by that didn’t involve a Seed brother or the Project at Eden’s Gate. The mere mention of the word seed sent you into a whirl of emotions. It was mostly anger. All three of them never seemed to stay out of people’s business or trouble.

It made you think that Pops was wrong to say Nancy should keep her eyes on you three instead of the brothers. It would benefit him more than your snooping. All they did for months now was cause trouble for everyone who lived in Hope County. Most people would say that they weren’t bad folks. People saw them as something good. People didn’t read too much into it, they saw them as a simple church. They were compared to the Lamb of God church outside Fall’s End or even Pastor Jerome Jeffries.

None of them did anything illegal, nothing that could warrant suspicion. There was a complaint or two about John annoying various business owners or buying up possible farmland, but that was it. Pops and yourself were the only ones that knew better. You’ve spent hours after your shift was over piecing their records together.

You would sit at your little desk sifting through the three files you composed of them, including another woman named Faith whose actual name was Lana.

Joseph’s was the thickest with arrests ranging from trespassing to disturbing the peace. None of them were murder or kidnapping, but it was something. He didn’t seem to hold a job for long according to the records from the Rome Police Department.

John’s was the thinnest. He had a clean record from what you could tell. He was a lawyer and he seemed pretty successful with a dab of luck with rich parents. It would definitely explain the charm and dollar signs. You couldn’t even hold yourself back from scoffing when you read his file. The whole point of looking over these records was whether or not they could have a permit to carry. You felt uneasiness just thinking about giving John a permit to carry a dangerous weapon, but you had to give him one.

If you and Staci showed up at a call involving him, he always had a stupid ass smirk on his face. You started to think he purposely caused a ruckus just to irate you. Staci just had a dumb expression on his face, but you really couldn’t hide your fury with him.

Jacob was a whole other story. He committed arson apparently. It would explain why his face looked like shit. He burned down a barn and then was drafted into the military. Great, fucking fantastic. Just what you needed. A war hero.

You slumped down in the office chair and let out a long, agonizing sigh. You stayed late yet again to go over the files. You wanted, no needed an excuse to not give them that piece of paper. Your eyes focused on the stack of files again, but not a paper was out of place. This was it. They won, John fucking won.

At your last visit to John, he had asked you about the status of the permit. There was another noise disturbance call in the area and of course, it was you and Staci. You both drove to a clearing near a pasture not far from Fall’s End.

It was fairly nice, only having a dirt road to access it. Piles upon piles of light-colored logs littered the ground and John was in the middle of it. His jacket was off, leaving him in only a blue button-up shirt. His black sunglasses were over his eyes and he wore a blue hard hat. You would think he wouldn’t wear one so it wouldn’t mess up his hair, but the big baby was sucking it up so he didn’t get hit in his thick skull.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite deputies. What brings you two here?” His voice sounded teasing as he walked up to the window of the patrol car. He laid his arm on the door and leaned in.

“Knock it off, John. You know why we’re here.” This insult barely shuts him up. You could practically see the cogs turning in his head as you talked back to him. But then it turned back into a smirk.

His smirks usually sent chills down your spine, not the good ones either. This time it didn’t, it felt like you were in control for once. Your brain was finally telling your anxiety to calm the fuck down. It felt great to not have this overwhelming pressure on your chest.

“Oh, you’ve got a mouth on you, Rook. It would be a tragedy if I had to teach you some manners.” There was a hint of a predatory tone in his voice. It may have sounded flirty but it definitely wasn’t. How people believed in these brothers was beyond you.

Normally, in this situation, you would feel trapped, but you felt so free. You could easily reach over the door and strangle him with his own necklace. Maybe drown him in the Henbane. That sounded like a great idea.

“Why don’t you knock it the fuck off before I show you the inside of a jail cell.” John didn’t even flinch at your threat. To him, it sounded like a kitten hissing to defend itself. This pointless fight with words, something attempting to hurt him, was shining through as wrath.

Staci was the exact opposite, instead of being cool and collected, this grown-ass man was sweating bullets. His hazel eyes were wide open, and his mouth was hung open. He had never heard you curse or act out like this before. You were usually shy and reserved, you never really voiced your opinion especially to him.

You’ve always were reserved, even as a child you never could speak your mind. But, John was someone that pushed you and pushed you until you finally broke. You didn’t see him as a person, you saw him as an object to be yelled at and punched. Like a pillow. Yeah, a handsome smug ass pillow. There was always a part of you that wanted to break out and now this fucking church finally did it.

“Now, my dear. We don’t want to say things we’ll regret, do we?” His blue eyes flicked from the guns strapped near his sides to you. Your eyes narrowed as you watched his movement. His tattooed hand settled at the base of his waist. Putting a steady hand on the cool metal.

“Are you threa…!” Before you could say anything, Staci covered your mouth with his hand. It smelt like gunpowder and donuts and was big enough to not only cover your nose but your mouth. You hastily ripped it off before he suffocated you. You gave him a glare and mumbled curses under your breath. What an asshole.

“We’re just going to go if there isn’t anything else.” You could tell he was trying to act nice. It was like a challenge for him. Staci’s entire personality was either set to asshole, or fake friendliness. There was no in-between. You could practically feel the anger boil inside of you when John’s smirk got even bigger and turned into a full smile. White teeth and all. He was mocking you and it only made you angrier.

He reached into his expensive suit pants and pulled out a yellowed piece of paper. ‘COME JOIN US!’ was written in big bold letters and the cross of Eden’s Gate was plastered right in the middle. He reached in through the driver’s side door and just held it there for you to take. You looked at the paper and back at him, waiting for him to make a surprise move.

Maybe he’ll grab your arm and cut it off. Or he could drag you through the door and make you work on his silly wooden project. The possibilities were endless when it came to this man. Who knew what he would cook up in that stupid mind of his. Some persuasive lawyer shit.

You carefully reached for the paper and snatched it away as soon as your fingers made contact. Goosebumps went up your arm when you brushed your hand with his fingers. You had no idea whether it was from disgust or… something else, but you definitely didn’t like it.

“I would love it if you would join us. Maybe we can wash out that sinful mouth of yours.” You had no idea whether he was flirting or not. He was doing an awful job at it if he was. Nevertheless, a faint blush made its way to your cheeks. You looked away and rolled the window up, just hoping his fingers would get caught. They sadly didn’t.

Instead, you did him one better. You slowly backed the car up and made sure to go over one pile of logs. The wheels went over the bump and the sickening crack of wood sounded in the car. You looked outside the window to see John screaming. He began to bang on the glass until you shifted the car into drive. Another crack was heard as you pulled forward and you could see a fairly large log split in half.

A feeling of satisfaction soon replaced the anger as you drove away and John’s face filled the entire rearview mirror. His blue eyes were narrowed as his entire face was bright red. He looked to be screaming at one of the builders. Who was no cowering in fear as John let him have it.

The ride back to the station was quiet. Awkwardly quiet considering that Staci was a motormouth. He said nothing as he watched farms and pastures pass by. His lips were pulled into a frown and his eyes held seemingly no emotion. They were just pools of hazel with nothing else. That uneasy feeling was very evident now.

It was hard knowing someone was mad at you, a critical flaw you’ve always had was wanting to be liked, it got worse at the academy when no one seemed to like you. Or when you parents died, you stopped looking for approval from them and it switched to wanting approval from everyone. You couldn’t please everyone was something Pops always said.

Just knowing Staci didn’t like you ate you up inside. “Staci, come on, whatever I did I didn’t mean it.” The beginning was very evident in your voice. The tough act slowly melted away as your voice and hands quivered on the wheel.

Staci didn’t even react to you. He just continued to gaze out the window.

“I’m not mad, I just hope you don’t go to that sermon. I have a bad feeling about those guys, but no one else seems to. John especially.” Wait, were you hearing this right? Staci Fucking Pratt cared about you. The same jackass that glued your office supplies to the ceiling and had an absolute field day with you getting them down? The same one that made a habit of tripping you when you walked into your office?

“Was that concern I hear Pratt?” Your frown turned into a small smile as you teased him. He didn’t look at you but you could clearly see him get flustered.

“Shut the fuck up, ( Y/N). Don’t tell Joey, I won’t hear the end of it.” He gave a slight chuckle and went back to looking out the window.

The atmosphere became more comforting than before. You parked the car into a space and got out, grabbing the flier. You were curious, to say the least. What was strange about it was it was at night. Apparently the project did them at odd hours. From the butt crack of dawn to midnight, there was no stopping them. Even people like Mayor Virgil Minkler thought they were good people. Strange but good.

You just wanted to see if your hunch was true about them. Could they be bad people or were you just crazy? John was definitely crazy in your opinion but he just seemed to have a terrible temper that went on and off like a switch.

You walked to your shared office and logged out of the computer. Staci had already dashed to his car as soon as he hit the power button. You grabbed the files from the desk and walked out with your bag. You put all three of them into the archives in the break room and walked out to Pop’s office.

You gently knocked on the wood door and opened it. “Oh, kiddo, I didn’t hear yea.” Whitehorse turned to you and put an arm through his jacket.

“Are you ready to go old man?” He chuckled and shook his head, grabbing the truck keys and walking out behind you.

“Old man? Soon enough I’ll be saying that to you, you’re gettin’ grey already from Pratt.” He had to just pull your leg. You did nothing but complain about Pratt at home. Pops had even said you were like an elementary school girl bullying a boy she liked.

As soon as you made it to the truck you threw your duffle bag into the bed. You weren’t really worried about someone stealing, everyone kept their front doors unlocked. This county was placed around trust and faith. Eden’s Gate was an extent of that. They brought faith so they could be trusted. Something definitely irked you the wrong way, they were too friendly. Too willing to help. Maybe that’s why people trusted them so easily. They would follow someone like Joseph blindly if he made the tough choices for them.

You hoped right into the passenger’s seat and Pops followed you and set the truck on the road. The radio was softly playing old 80’s rock. You turned the station and an unfamiliar song played through the speakers. You turned the volume up slightly and, ‘Keep your rifle by your side!’ played.

“What the fuck is this?” You turned the channel again and this time, ‘Jacob’s gonna come and set those sinners free!’ played. “Is there some new Christian station? This sounds so bad.” You kept the station on and made fun of it as Pops drove. He would put in a joke or two as the songs changed, each one worse than the last.

You brought out the flier and gave it another look over. You could feel Pops green eyes on you as soon as the name Project at Eden’s Gate came into view.

“Don’t tell me you're gonna go see that loon, (Y/N). They’re up to somethin’, I can smell it from a mile away.” He gave you a worried smile and turned his focus back onto the road. His comment took you back a moment and you thought about it. What if he was right? What if they really are a cult or something that? But a cult? In Hope County? No fucking way in hell. But, then again, you were very curious why everyone went. Why anyone would want to listen to a grown man in a bun preach. He must be worth listening to then. You went back and forth with yourself before Earl had enough and sighed.

“I wouldn’t be mad if you went. Just don't get caught up in a web, who knows what would happen if I lost my favorite granddaughter.” He gave another reassuring smile. You knew he would support you with whatever you did. Whether he agreed with it or not.

“I’m your only granddaughter!” You gave a slight chuckle and threw all the tension out the window. You were going to go to this sermon and see what happens, it couldn’t be that bad.

When you finally reached the house and Pops threw you the keys from the porch as you slid into the driver’s seat. You drove off towards Eden’s Covenant near the Henbane. It was very pretty this time of year. White oxeye daisies grew in bunches along the river’s shore and you remember having picnics with your parents by the banks and learning how to make daisy chains.

When you arrived you could barely find a spot to park. There was no parking lot so there were cars shoved into every place they could fit them. You even spotted Nancy’s van a few cars down from your truck.

People singing could be heard outside. It was the same song from the radio. Keep Your Rifle By Your Side. Wait, did they have their own radio station? Yet, there were the same songs from another station. This church bought two radio stations. That can’t be right, a church doesn't need a station in the first place.

You walked to the front of the church, seemingly dragging your feet to beat around the bush. You were hesitant at first but Joseph’s voice rang from inside. It was very soft but began to get louder until it sounded like he was ranting and not performing a sermon.

You pushed the door open, trying to avoid the people that practically stood in the isles. There wasn’t enough room for everyone it seemed. You squeezed your way through until you found a spot near the wall in the front. All three Seed brothers were present. Joseph up in front preaching his little heart out and Jacob and John lingering in the back along with who you presumed to be Lana. Surprising, Joseph’s shirt was off, revealing numerous tattoos. His rosary swayed with his frantic hand movements as he tried to act and give life to his words. It was almost mesmerizing how passionate he was about this.

“When I read the newspaper like everyone else, I see headlines I don’t want to see. Brother turned against brother and for what reason? Politics, greed, and pride. These politicians, these leaders are too blind by their own sin to see what they are willing to destroy in order to feed it. God cannot ignore this world any longer. The Lord has seen your sins and He has asked for my help. He whispered His righteous words into my ear and delivered a message onto the world. Come and see the change that the project will bring. Hear as Gabriel sounds his trumpet of the oncoming collapse. Our Pack must stick together to walk among the angels through Eden’s Gate!” Collapse? What was the collapse? And a pack? Did he mean like a pack of wolves? What the hell is this?

Joseph walked back and forth, staring intently at each member. He didn’t turn away as he got louder, pulling more and more people in with his intense gaze and words. You had to internally fight yourself from listening to him further.

In some instances, in some crazy way, he was right. Just ask any prepper in this county and they would tell you something similar. You turned yourself away from Joseph to see Jacob looking your way while whispering into the ear of another man. They both looked straight at you as the other bearded man walked away, his trench coat trailing behind him.

“I am your Father and you are my Children.” The congregation gave cheers as the sermon ended. Joseph hopped down from the stage and was immediately swarmed by a dozen people offering hugs. While they were distracted, you slipped out the door and back to the truck. Quietly avoiding Nancy and Danny, who were both outside speaking to John.

You opened the driver’s side door but stopped. Your clothes were thrown all over the bed and the duffle bag was ripped open. “What the fuck!?” You gave a small scream as you jumped into the bed and went through your stuff. Your picture was gone. Your mom and dad’s picture was fucking gone!


	3. Watering Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things only seem to get worse as the Project continues to move in on your quiet little county. They've taken the radio stations and even something important to you. A one of a kind picture that couldn't possibly be of any value to a group of God-loving hipsters. Yet, it turns out you're wrong. Really wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your love and support while I write trash and sip tea. It means the world to me! And like always, give me some feedback on what I could do better or what I did alright, where you wanna see this whole mess go, or something you just don’t understand. I also really want to know what your theories are for the coming story. I always love reading your guys' analyses.

The picture just seemed to vanish. It wasn’t ripped up anywhere or jammed to the bottom of the bag. Your eyes were getting strained from how many countless times you look for it. You dug through your torn clothes and nothing came up. To other people, it might have looked like you’ve gone mad. Ripping up clothes with an uneasy gleam in your eyes. Maybe they even turned red like John’s. That color still sent shivers down your spine when you thought of it. A dark red, almost an old blood or maroon color.

If it wasn’t here, it had to be inside the church. You could just go in, it would be quick. It would be way easier than looking at someone or making eye contact. Then they would have to start a conversation and you weren’t in the mood to talk about how bad America’s politics were or the latest crop failure.

You looked from the entrance of the white church back to the bed of your truck. As you thought your plan over, you started to chew the inside of your cheek out of habit. The plan was pretty solid, the problem was the people outside rather than inside. Joseph, John, and Jacob stood at the door as people hugged and talked. They blocked most of the entrance as if it was a sign they didn’t want you in. Were they hiding something? This theory alone was stupid. Of course, they were hiding something, they were shady as hell. Jacob just happened to be the least shady of them.

If someone was talking directly to him, he would just nod, not making a real attempt to answer back. You didn’t really notice, but his blue eyes would wander to your truck where you practically ripped your clothes up more than they were, looking for your photo. Sure, he might have some secrets, but they were something you didn’t want to hear. John’s seemed pretty obvious. His secret was he fucked a lot of women and it was pretty obvious. He had money and a dick, what more could a woman like you want?

If you didn’t go in and it was in there, you would hate yourself. It was the only real thing from your parent’s house that you wanted before it was taken by the bank when they died. But if you did go in there and it wasn’t there, it would be all for nothing. It seemed like a lose-lose situation. It’s only been a couple of minutes and you already feel like giving up.

Nevertheless, it didn’t seem like you had much of a choice. So, you just bit the bullet and hopped out of the truck and made your way along the concrete sidewalk.

The blood was pumping and ringing in your ears along with the overwhelming beat of your heart. You felt the need to make yourself as small as possible. Maybe if you did, people wouldn’t stare or make comments. How dare she just walk into the Church and disrespect the Family. She doesn’t even thank them or hug them, nor does she have the audacity to talk to them.

As you walked by, these people, these followers gave you the dirtiest looks. It was only when their flock noticed you, the Seeds started to acknowledge you as well. Lana, or Faith as she liked to be called, was the first to notice. 

Lana was the least problematic of the four. You’ve never personally spoken to her. Her dark brown hair had daisies woven into it and she wore a white sundress covered in more flowers. What really unnerved you was her smile. Her pearly white teeth were stretched into an uneven smile that stood out against her tan skin. Her smile didn’t reach her brown eyes, which were dull in comparison. She was really trying to show off how innocent she was with the whites. She wanted you to see her this way, as Faith rather than Lana. They seemed like two entirely different people.

You walked slightly farther away from her as she hugged another follower. It was Danny. He not only came for the service, but he stayed behind. Doesn’t have dedication towards his job, but when it comes to weird religions, he’s all for it. This was real proof of how persuasive and charismatic these people turned out to be. To turn someone’s character completely upside down was startling, to say the least.

“Can I help you with anything, my child?” The voice came from behind. It was smooth and gentle. You turned to see Joseph staring with a small smile on his face. His yellow aviators were still present and he looked absolutely ridiculous with no shirt on. Sweat dripped from your brow as you tried to avoid his attentive gaze, but it followed when your eyes landed on a more interesting patch of dirt in front of you.

“I lost something, inside the church. It was a photo.” Fuck, you even sounded suspicious. Your mouth tripped over the words as you tried to shove them out. You sounded and looked like a mess. You could even feel John’s and Jacob’s gazes once more. One was more of glare or stare down than the other. No wonder some people were so terrified, they were intimidating up close. You weren’t even looking directly at them and your anxiety was pushing your heart to the bottom of your stomach.

“We could help you find it.” He sounded sincere like he wanted to help. You knew this all too well. Joseph Seed put up an act, it was very clear to you. Something was boiling underneath. Something dangerous lied below the surface. Maybe it was even worse than John or Jacob.

“NO! I mean… I can do it by myself. Thanks for the offer.” There it goes, your entire life down the drain. You might as well have angered the wrong people. Killed right in front of your own coworker no doubt.

“Please, I insist.” He was pushing. He made it clear in the undertone of his voice that he didn’t want you talking back. You looked back up once more and saw the smile from before was gone. Only replaced by a disappointing frown. In some way, you felt disappointed in yourself. It was odd because you did nothing wrong. What the hell was wrong with you?

Joseph put a hand onto the small of your back and guided you into the church. He started in the right aisles and you started on the left.

You scrounged through tons of daisy petals and hymn notes and nothing showed up. Not even the remains of a photo. But there was something interesting. White books were tucked away behind the back of pews. They had gold trim on it and in the middle was the same weird cross in gold. It was rather heavy and the first page had the title, ‘The Book of Joseph.’ Oh, fuck, this guy had his own fucking bible. Just great, now you knew this place was weird. This just wasn’t any church, it was a different damn religion.

The covers of the book gleaned in the fluorescent lighting as you peered over the rows of pews to Joseph. He was on his knees, back facing you, looking under the seats for the photo. It was somewhat touching that he cared, but that wasn’t the point. You looked down at the book once more.

You could take it. No one would know and bring it back to the Department. Joey would get a kick out of this. There was the possibility of Danny finding out and telling one of the fucking Seeds then you would be in huge trouble. You could already see Jacob waiting outside your house to attack you for stealing from his brother. The mere thought caused you to bite your lip until you could taste the iron flavored blood.

This was a great opportunity to learn more about these guys. Maybe Hope County will remove the wool over their eyes. You looked back at Joseph once more and slipped the book into a pocket that lined your jacket. If you put your hands in your front pockets, no one would suspect a thing.

“Did you find anything?” You called over to Joseph. He got up and dusted off his jeans with an apologetic look on his face.

“I am sorry. I didn’t find anything. If it helps, I will come by if I find it, Deputy.” He knew you were a deputy. Hell, why wouldn’t he? There were only four of you in the entire county, five if you counted Nancy. You wish you could just whip out your badge and arrest him on the spot. It would be so much easier.

“Thank you for your help, Joseph.” You didn’t even bother looking him in the eyes. He would instantly see how guilty you looked as you felt the book’s cover press against the palm of your hand. You could feel the guilt and sorrowfulness start to bubble in your chest. The thought of stealing from a somewhat innocent man was frightening. All this just for some proof of something. Whatever it was had to be bad. A murder confession maybe, you prayed to whatever God or higher being was out there that there was something to gawk at.

You ducked out behind him and went out of the church. The sky was already dark and it made you wonder how long you were looking for that damn photo. You practically sprinted across the yard, your hands placed firmly in the jacket’s pockets. Both John and Jacob watched you leave, but Jacob was a whole other story. His blue eyes were narrowed as he caught a glimpse of the rectangle-shaped object hidden in your jacket. Fuck, he knew! You looked back again to see him just standing there with his large arms crossed and a small smirk on his lips. Both of your eyes met for a split second as he grabbed something from inside his pocket.

It felt like everything was in slow motion when Jacob held YOUR picture between his fingers. His smirk only got bigger when you bit your lip, trying to resist the urge to attack him. It would look bad, it would look so bad. There was no telling what he was going to do with it.

Jacob slowly reached into another pocket and brought out a small lighter. That son of bitch! He was gonna fucking burn it! He looked up again and held the picture right above the flame, swinging it back and forth like he was teasing you. What hurt the most was the fact that he was dragging it out. You knew he had no intention to burn it. “Please don’t…” Your voice was barely above a whisper but he heard.

Jacob turned off the lighter, and walked closer to you. You could barely hear his heavy footsteps in the dirt over the sound of your blood pumping rapidly in your ears. “What was that, girl?” His deep voice was laced with that teasing tone, much like John’s. He knew it was making you angry and it only seemed to excite him more. From what you could tell, Jacob enjoyed it when others were at his mercy. It was really inflating his already massive ego, but John still held the record. He liked being the top dog, the Alpha. He liked the control. It was like a game of cat and mouse, it was a hunt.

“Nothing, I’ll just be going.” He seemed pleased with this answer because he stuffed the picture back in his pocket without even saying anything. His eyes flashed that same red that never left your memory. This definitely wasn’t your imagination. Jacob slowly backed away and went back to John, making sure to reach into his pocket as he went.

It was nice to know who had it now. Figures it was fucking Jacob. Haven’t even talked to the guy until now, but it was very evident he was a huge asshole. It wasn't like John where he was very active or hyper. He seemed lazy, very out of tune with his emotions. Jacob Seed was definitely someone you didn’t want to fuck with. Especially when he now had this much power over you. You were basically at his beck and call now. Like a little fucking pet. You just hoped he won’t make you suck his dick for the picture.

\------

The ride back to the house was tense, even though you were the only one in the truck. You refused to even turn on the radio now that the Project seemed to be playing their own mixtapes. The only things that ate up the dead silence was your breathing and the chirping of crickets outside.

The drive wasn’t long just across the river and outside Fall’s End. Pop’s house was just down the road from the Cougar’s home field. It was a small place, but it was cozy for only two people. Your old swing set was in the back and what was odd about your yard was the lack of a bunker.

A lot of doomsday nut jobs lived in Hope County and you weren’t one if you didn’t have a bunker. Earl summed it up to just not believing in that bullshit. If God wanted to pull the plug he would have done it a long time ago before things got really bad.

You parked the truck and hopped out, locking the door. You grabbed your duffle bag and headed inside. “Gramps! I’m home!” You called out down the hall to the living room. The lights were off, but the T.V. was on. It was playing a commercial for Sunrise farms. A plump pumpkin mascot jumped around a field, just begging you to come by and pick one.

And right in front of the T.V., in a reclining chair was Gramps. His hat and glasses were set on the table next to him and his uniform was still on. At Least he got his shoes off this time. He practically lived in that uniform. You turned off the T.V. and put a knitted blanket over him. His snores shook the house at this point. You made your way down the hallway, past the many pictures on the wall to your room.

It was still very girly. With peeling boy band posters and an awful canopy bed. You never got around to upgrading it. It was one of the many things on your list that will never get done. Just imagine bringing a boy home to this. No boys in the country really interested you. Pratt was an obvious one. He had this weird thing for Joey, but Joey was very much into girls. It was well known since high school, despite being a few years ahead of you.

You grabbed the book from inside your jacket and tossed it onto the bed. It flopped onto the sheets with a smack directly onto the spine. It opened to a random page that just seemed to call to you. You quickly got changed and dived under the covers. You flipped to the first page but stopped. Should you bring this back after you're done? This was only for research and a good laugh, but it felt wrong to make fun of someone else’s religions. Even if it seemed odd to you.

You just had to know what these people were up to and this book seemed to have the answers. The questions just weren’t asked yet. No one in Hope County wanted to ask. They just wanted to follow blindly. They thought this Project brought them hope and faith, nothing like what their government could give them. When you thought about it, was there really a separation between church and state? The lines between these two were very blurry for most people. The Project was building onto something this county had a lot of. Distrust. They were taking advantage of people’s weaknesses.

But you weren’t swayed easily. Any religion involving John or Jacob Seed was a religion you didn’t want to be a part of, especially with a persuasive and charismatic leader like Joseph.

Maybe this book will help you after all. You had no other option other than reading or joining some crazy religious group.


	4. Fertile Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Months seem to go by as Eden's Gate continues to win. John finally got his permit to carry and no holsters an expensive-looking pistol and the Book of Joseph is even more messed up than you thought. It's hard to believe people love a mad man. Especially a mad man that talks to God.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while, but I'm back. I hope you guys enjoyed your winter break because I definitely did and I'm ready to get back to writing. I'm so sorry I took so long. Thank you all for your love and support while I write trash and sip tea. It means the world to me! And like always, give me some feedback on what I could do better or what I did alright, where you wanna see this whole mess go, or something you just don’t understand. I also really want to know what your theories are for the coming story. I always love reading your guys' analyses.

Joseph’s fucking bible took you almost all night to get through. Even though it was only thirteen chapters, it was still painful to read. Not only from what was in it but also that pain of realizing how crazy this guy was. He was literally hearing voices. Even if it was the ‘voice of God, it was still a voice inside your head that only you can hear. The worst part is that he’s doing what it says. It was like he wanted to gloss over the insane parts of abuse. No child deserved to go through abuse by their own parents, especially twice like John, but it was no excuse.

By the time you read the epilogue, it was sunrise, and the light was already peeking through your old pink curtains. You had just put the book down, stretching your legs, and rubbed your eyes. You looked at the clock and saw that it was only 5:30. It was the perfect time to get dressed and make breakfast before Pops got up. 

You haphazardly put your uniform on, not even caring at this point if your name tag was upside down. Everyone knew who you were already, Junior Deputy (Y/N) Rook was a mouthful.

You made your way past the living room and into the kitchen. You rarely made breakfast. Eating the doughnuts Nancy brought was perfectly fine with you, but you were starting to put on weight from not only stress snacking but also the obscene amount of doughnuts and coffee you would sneak when no one was looking. 

It wasn’t a luxurious breakfast, but it was something. John Seed could probably do a better job. Probably something involving crepes. Damn, you had to stop thinking about him or just his family. There was definitely a pull there, you just didn’t want to admit it. It fascinated you in a way. It was either by their charmingly okay looks or the fact that they had glowing red eyes one moment and then they’re gone. 

Nothing made sense about them. What were they? You had wondered if the red eyes were a trick of the light, but the unsettling feeling in your stomach said something else. It was crazy that there was a possibility that they weren’t human, but if that was true, what are they? Aliens? Too fucking obvious. 

Maybe Pops or Hudson had any ideas. Or you could go to Larry. Just the thought of him made a disgusting shiver run down your spine. No, thank you. 

“What’s all this, kid?” You peeked your head out from the kitchen to see he was already dressed and ready to go. 

“What? Can’t I be nice for once?” You turned away from him and walked the plates to the table. Pops instantly sat down and dug in as you poured him a cup of black coffee. It didn’t take a genius to see that he looked suspicious. He raised his large grey eyebrows at your behavior. If your granddaughter went to a sermon held by an insane “father”, you would be worried too. Maybe you had turned into a Peggie too. Ready to preach the word of Joseph far and wide. Or maybe you were seduced by John. Bleh, like that would ever happen.

“No, you’re nice when you’ve done something. It has something to do with those God damned Seeds, doesn’t it?” He caught you. It wasn’t a surprise that he did. Being the only Sherrif in this town kept you on your toes, even though the ‘crimes’ were just land disputes. 

“So, you know how I went to their sermon right?” Pops said nothing as he just nodded. “Well, I took a bible from their pews.” You flinched away, just waiting for him to yell, but he didn’t say or do anything as he looked at the gold and white book on the counter. You didn’t want to even mention the stolen picture at this point. There was no use in making him angrier. 

“God damn it, (Y/n). I told you to not get involved.” He didn’t yell, but he sounded irritated. He didn’t want to be involved more than you already were. Having minimal contact was the key.

“I have an explanation.” He remained quiet as he waited for you to continue. “You know how we were trying to dig up dirt on them? This is it. This the big one. I even saw Danny.” 

“Wait, Danny?” You just nodded and watched as Pops’s eyebrows knitted together in thought.

No one said anything else at the table. You simply washed the dishes and got in the truck, ready to leave with the book in your duffle. Pops hopped in and said nothing. The ride all the way to the station was quiet and awkward. All he did was cough and watch as you passed cows and trees. 

The station’s parking lot was fairly empty, and the Spread Eagle was packed like usual. People in this town couldn’t go 10 minutes without a beer. Drowning your misery in alcohol and fucking a random person sounded great. Not that you would let anyone in this town touch you. Maybe a Seed if they weren’t insane. Fuck, don’t think like that. They’re sick and twisted. Who knows what they do to people they lure into their so-called church. 

“You better grab that damn book. Joey would get a kick out of it.” Pops put on his hat, adjusted his badge, and left you alone in the truck. You watched as he walked in and tried to muster the courage to do the same. You were having doubts about this whole book thing. Jacob already knew you stole it. Hell, he probably told Joseph and John by now. Who knows what those bastards would do once they got you alone. John especially. It felt like you needed to throw up as you collected your thoughts and tried to keep your mental state stable for now.

You grabbed your duffle bag from the backseat and dragged it into the building. You only waved at Nancy as you passed her by, now fully aware of her whereabouts. There was no mistake it was her minivan outside the church last night. 

She was one of the few people that owned one in this part of Montana. It made you wonder who else was being brainwashed. They were like sleeper agents: ready to kill at a drop of a hat. It made you want to hide even more. Put up more of a guard than ever before. Giving the cold shoulder was something you were immensely good at. 

You walked into your joint office to see Stacie throwback a whole can of Monster like a shot and another one was already in the trash. His fingers shook as he typed away on the computer; filing a domestic dispute it seems. He was already so into it he didn’t even notice you as you got closer to his chair. “Staci…” No answer. “Staci.” Still nothing. “Staci!” 

He flinched and shook his head as his empty can fell on the floor. “Fuck, (Y/n). Give a guy some warning at least.” You knew he was barely used to the idea of you being his partner. It’s been over two years and he claims he still finds you annoying.

“Sorry, it’s not my fault you barely pay attention.” You rolled your eyes as Staci turned his chair around. He looked far more anxious than usual. He had darker bags under his usually bright hazel eyes. He had stated before he has trouble sleeping, that’s why he’s addicted to energy drinks. Work must get to him. You just brushed it off and kept talking. 

“Do you know where Joey is?” It was worrying not to see her already. She was usually in your office with Staci before you were here.

“I saw her walking to the break room before you got here.” Ahh, perfect. 

“I’m going to go find her, come with me just in case.” He could never resist her, even when she said she preferred woman. It never stopped him. 

Pratt just nodded, trying desperately not to fall on his ass as you both walked down the hall, passing Joey and Danny’s office. You haven’t seen Danny at all. His jacket wasn’t even hanging on the back of his chair. It was strange; he had never missed a day of work. 

If Danny didn’t show up, something must have been wrong, really wrong. You couldn’t confront him or even blame him. This was his religion. He had the freedom to practice it. You can’t claim someone’s a bad person because the people they worshipped were assholes. No matter how much you want to blame them for doing bad, there was no solid proof. 

Staci was right. Joey was stuffing her face with glazed donuts like her life depended on it and Danny wasn’t with her either. So he really wasn’t here. “Joey, there you are. You won’t believe what I found.” Her eyes widened as you took the book from inside the duffle. Staci looked taken aback by the book as you handed it over to Joey. She inspected it from front to back, soaking in every little detail. “Isn’t that from the Seed’s weird group?” You nodded and watched as she handed it over to Staci.

“You two know this is a bunch of bullshit, right ? Those three are probably doing it for money.” They didn’t need money when they have their sugar daddy already, John Seed. That man was loaded. The house he was building on the hill was getting bigger by the day. 

“A lot of people don’t seem to think so. Danny’s over there right now for a meeting or some shit.” Oh, so that’s where he was.

“He tried to get me to go, but religion isn’t my thing.” Joey preferred life’s simple pleasures. She liked to settle down with booze and the occasional joint when you went out drinking with her. The last thing she needed was someone telling her no, especially someone like John.

“The things they believe are bat shit insane!” You made a point of flipping through the book until you landed on a paragraph talking about how a voice speaks to Joseph. How could these people not think he’s fucking crazy!

“I could believe it.” Neither of them said anything else as Staci gave the book back to you. It’s hard to believe that a simple piece of paper held so many lies in it. It was hard to digest, even for you. It was impossible to comprehend how foolish people are. Staci and Joey didn’t even need to read it to understand. You knew they wouldn’t fall for something as outlandish as the Project at Eden’s Gate. 

The day went on as normal. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. Jacob didn’t come to the station with a tank nor did Joseph come with God to prove you wrong, but it still made you feel on edge. They were unpredictable, especially now that John could go get whatever gun he wanted. He passed the criminal background check. It was terrifying to watch Pops hand him a permit to carry. It felt like a major defeat on your part. John just gave a fake, radiant smile as he put the permit into his wallet. His blue eyes faded to red and no one else seemed to notice. It was like you were going crazy.

Nothing else seemed to happen as the months went on. It was like Eden’s Gate never existed. Except for the occasional time when they came up in conversation. Danny showed up for work less and less. His cross was replaced with the symbol of Eden’s Gate. A sight that mocked you every time you saw it.

You had run into the Seed’s only a handful of times. Each encounter ending with a sly comment on your part. John simply shot back a hurtful comment. Joseph gave a fake smile. Jacob simply dug out your picture from his dirty pocket and dangled it in front of you like a carrot on a stick. He wanted you to get violent. He was waiting for the one moment that you couldn’t control yourself and simply snap. You never gave him the satisfaction. 

It had been a month since your last encounter, and the summer was just starting. The Rye’s were having a cookout to celebrate the 4th of July. This was usually an annual event. Everyone from the county showed up with tons of dishes. It felt different this year, no one said anything, but they prayed the Seeds didn’t show. 

You got off of work and Pops had gone home ahead of you to cook off the brisket he’s been smoking. He loved that slab of meat more than you it seemed. You already bought what you were bringing a nice big case of Budweiser from the general store down the street. Joey had bought a case of wine coolers that you were overly excited about. They just went down like water. 

You had no idea what Staci was bringing, probably chips or something. He didn’t cook. The only thing he claimed he knew how to make was boxed mac and cheese. 

You walked out of the store and into Joey’s truck. She had stuffed Staci in the back with the bags and he barely had enough room with all the garbage she threw back there.

The ride to the Ryes’ airstrip was a short one. It was just past the church and up a hill. Their house was fairly nice with a big strip in the back. Nick was a fun enough guy, who was just getting harassed by John on the daily from what you’ve heard. The man really wanted his plane. 

Kim was a different story. You had known her from high school. She was 2 years ahead of you in school and you were good friends. You didn’t talk nearly as much when she married Nick, but you kept in touch. 

As soon as Joey parked the truck, Staci practically leaped out of the back. You had never seen him move that fast before. He sprinted over to Nick, who was setting up the fire pit. Anything to get away from the claustrophobic back seat. You let out a small chuckle as you got the bags from the back and walked over to the line of plastic tables by the grill. Kim was busy setting up the covered dishes she made, adjusting them so they looked inline. She was always a perfectionist. 

“You need to calm down it looks good.” Kim turned around with an enormous smile on her face. Her brown eyes were crinkled at the corners as her face practically glowed. This was the happiest you’ve seen her in months. 

“When did you get here? No one’s here yet. Shit, that doesn’t matter. I have something to tell you.” Kim could hardly contain herself as she dragged you to the opposite end of the strip. She didn’t even give you time to question her before she blurted out “I’m pregnant!” 

“Oh, Kim, I’m so happy for you!” You truly were. She had talked about wanting kids forever, but Nick wasn’t too keen on it, growing up with some negligent parents. 

“Ahh, thank you! I just couldn’t wait to tell you. I didn’t want you to not know in case… they show up.” The Seeds. They were bound to come, everyone knew it was inevitable. It was just a matter of when. 

“Just don’t say anything to anyone. Nick doesn’t feel comfortable with all these people knowing just yet. I don’t blame them. Who knows who they talk to.” She was right. You would be just as cautious if you were in her situation. If you could ever find a man or get laid. Neither of those seemed possible to you. 

The cookout went on as if you didn’t know. More people started the arrive as it got later. Even Pops stopped by with his smoking brisket, which was well worth the wait. You even saw Nick go against Gary Fairgrave in a drinking contest which ended with Nick passed out under a folding chair. 

The food was the best part of the entire event. The tables were just full of food and alcohol. The desserts alone took up one table. The games were fun at least, compared to last year. Who knew Staci was so good at corn hole. 

It wasn’t until it was nearly sunset when an unfamiliar car pulled into Rye’s driveway. It was an electric blue mustang without a speck of dirt on the paint. It parked next to Joey’s truck and John’s slicked-back hair peeked out from the door. He wore his familiar smile and a new pistol was strapped to his hip. His jacket was gone, showing off his blue silk shirt and black suspenders. You clenched your fist as you watched him practically strut away from the car. Your nails barely pierced the skin of your palm as he basically showed off. He was doing this on purpose. Just to get a rise out of everyone. He won, and he wanted you to know that. 

Joseph looked no different except for the pot he held in his hands. They made something; it had to be poison. The sickly sweet smile that Joseph always had was definitely hiding something dark, as he was walking right to you. You just wanted to hide. To curl up in the smallest ball possible and just die. He had to come to you of all people. 

Jacob soon followed behind. He wore cargo shorts instead of his cargo pants. The burn marks that made his face look like shit even appeared on his arms and legs. It made you take a sharp breath in wonder at how bad they must hurt. You kinda felt bad for him. Even if he set that barn on fire himself. 

The girl you expected to be Lana looked different. She had fairer skin than her and her hair was blonde instead of brown. You had heard that Lana got replaced by a new ‘Faith’ named Selena. She wore the same white dress to portray her innocence and flowers were braided into her bleach blonde hair. 

“Deputy, what a pleasant surprise.” John mocked as he lifted his sunglass from his eyes. “I was hoping I would see you here. You owe me quite a bit for that little stunt you pulled,” He tried to keep his anger at bay as Joseph watched him with piercing blue eyes.

“I could have you..” Just when John was about to cull you, Joseph finally stepped in. 

“John, that is enough. This is a peaceful and joyous gathering.” John looked like a kicked dog as he slowly inched away from his brother. He looked mortified. His eyes were down-cast to the ground and Selena didn’t look any better. She was shivering in fear as Joseph lowered his hand while still keeping a tight grip on the pot. 

“Yes, Joseph.” John simply walked away, heading towards the coolers. 

“Now, where may I put this, Deputy? It’s mac and cheese. I made it myself.” You showed him where to put it and he simply walked away to join his siblings. Nick had hurried over to you as fast as his drunk legs could carry him. He hastily lifted the lid of the pot and practically cried at what he saw. 

“Those bastards. The mac and cheese is watery! I knew they couldn’t be trusted.” It looked like he was going to sob as he angrily put the lid back on the pot. Kim had to calm him down he was so angry. No one touched the pot after that. It looked too much like colored water for you to want to try it. 

The night continued on as plan. No one spoke to the Seeds, and they didn’t speak to anyone else. Everyone just watched the train wreck from afar. John seemed like he was already drunk off his ass and Joseph angrily whispered to him constantly. Jacob sat away from his siblings and drank the same beer he had for the last hour, but as soon as the fireworks started, things got a little more interesting. 

Everyone moved to the end of the strip, except Jacob. He had his seat turned away, and he crushed the beer can to a pulp in his hands over and over. Every time a firework went off, he flinched. 

It looked like he was trying to distract himself from the sound, but you still felt bad. It looked like he was really going through some shit. Maybe even PTSD. You had no fucking idea what that might have been like. 

You got up from your seat next to Kim and got a beer from a cooler. You walked over to Jacob’s chair and sat down. “Want a beer,” Jacob said nothing as he turned his head lazily towards you. It felt like his eyes were piercing into your soul. The same stare he gave you every time you saw each other

. “What do you want?” The question came out like a growl. He was keeping his guard up, just like you. 

“I don’t want anything. I just thought you could use some company.” You were going to regret saying that to him. He was going to stomp all over your kindness, you just knew it.

“I don’t need your fucking pity.” Ouch, that was harsh, but what did you expect? A glowing smile. Please, this was Jacob fucking Seed. 

“And I don’t want to give you any. Now, take the fucking beer.” At first, he did nothing, then he just looked at you and narrowed his eyes. Finally, he took the cold beer from your hands and cracked it open. The foam seeped onto his hands but he didn’t seem to care. 

You sat with him for a while until the fireworks were over. He didn’t get up when Joseph practically dragged an overly drunk John to the car. Joseph just gave him a look and got into the driver’s seat and drove off. 

It wasn’t until everything was packed up that he asked you for a ride. Alarms went off in your head at the question. This was it. This is what he was waiting for. He wanted you alone so he could drag you into the woods and kill you. You knew it was coming. Kim gave you a look when he asked. She practically glared, daring you to say yes, but who else was going to take him home? And you did feel sober enough to drive. If you crashed and died, you would kill two birds with one stone. Literally. 

You nodded your head and walked to Pops’s truck. He was also too drunk to drive, so Joey took him home. He was out as soon as he sat down in the seat. 

You got into the driver’s seat, and Jacob followed. He pointed out different turns, but other than that he was silent. You drove on back roads you didn’t even know existed until you arrived at Cedar Lake in the WhiteTail mountains and a small cabin overlooking it. You stopped in front of his porch and waited for him to get out. 

“Thanks, Pup.” He said nothing else as he got out. He pulled something from his pocket and sat it down on the seat. It was your picture!

It had a small tear in it but nothing else was wrong. You flipped it over to see a note scribbled on the back. ‘We Know’ was written in red ink. We know? Know what? They had to be fucking with you.


	5. Blood Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The days go on as word seems to surface about traps and illegal hunting in the Whitetail mountains. No one knows who's up to this until Wolves are found torn apart around the mountain with rifle bullets in their heads. The person responsible seems obvious, but when you find and confront him, it turns into a vicious game of Cat and Mouse. You're no longer the predator, but the prey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in a huge writing and Far Cry 5 kick right now, so expect a lot of updates from not only this story but also Loyalty to the Pack and Hold the Front Line. I hope you guys enjoy the constant update and sorry if it becomes annoying. Thank you all for your love and support while I write trash and sip tea. It means the world to me! And like always, give me some feedback on what I could do better or what I did alright, where you wanna see this whole mess go, or something you just don’t understand. I also really want to know what your theories are for the coming story. I always love reading your guys' analyses.

It was hard to believe that two words scribbled on the back of a photo had caused you pain. Every time you flipped it over it was like it was mocking you. Hinting at something that was way beyond your reach, but all you could do was laugh. Laugh at how much of an idiot you were being for believing that some fake prophet from Georgia knew something about your life that you didn’t. Sure, a minor part of you wondered if he was telling the truth. As if the words he preached came from some God’s mouth. Doubtful, but it was possible considering the same prophet’s brothers' eyes glowed red.

It was hard to believe some malevolent God got his rocks off of at the apocalypse, the literal death of a planet. Even if it was a God and not a voice whispering from the back of Joseph’s man bun. Just like Joey, religion was never your thing. You could never recall going to Pastor Jerome’s church on Sunday with your parents, let alone step foot in it at all. From what you’ve seen in photos, your parents eloped in a lonely courthouse. 

The few weeks that passed since that encounter were anything but memorable. The Seeds and their little congregation did nothing, but the usual stuff. If Joseph needed something, mostly land, Sugar Daddy Jonathan would swoop in with a wad of cash ready to go. It wasn’t a shock to learn that John’s full name was Jonathan, but it was funny as hell. Joey laughed so hard that coffee went out her nose and onto Pratt’s shirt, who was more than pissed. 

It was hard to imagine John as a child with that name. Fuck, it was hard to imagine any of them as children. Joseph was probably born with a halo and bathed in God’s golden light. Jacob as an infant with a constant sneer or look of utter boredom was even funnier than Jonathan’s full name. 

Other than the constant pass of farm ownership, the only other thing that was of concern was the fact that some rather large traps seemed to kill several grey wolves in the Whitetail state park, which was highly illegal. You got frequent calls from some dude named Zip Kupka claiming something big was happening in the mountains. The guy had the tendency to call 3 times a day until Pops couldn’t take it anymore and just blocked his number somehow. 

You had to give the guy credit, he’s the one who tipped you off to the traps. Claiming he was saving the animals along with the other things the guy was rambling about. Something about lizard people in the government. 

It didn’t take long before someone seriously called about gunshots near the Whitetail Ranger Station. It was a Game Warden, and he didn’t sound happy. 

“Come on Staci.” The man did nothing to get up as he just slipped over in his chair. There was no point in waking him up, you honestly didn’t want to deal with his pissy mood.

There was only one other officer to talk to, Joey. Danny was nowhere to be found just like usual. Along with Nancy, which was disheartening. You felt even worse having to deal with these people without a donut. The worst probable outcome would have to be a Seed. Especially John. His name alone made your skin crawl with disgust, Joseph creeped you out and Jacob was well Jacob. The stunt at Kim and Nicks’s cookout made you feel sorta bad for the guy. Despite being an enormous dick with a maybe cult. 

“Don’t even ask me, I’m not going.” You didn’t even make it through her office door before she shot you down. Her back was turned to you with her usual braid tossed over her shoulder.

“Come on, Joey. Who else is going to do it? Staci? Are you fucking serious?” The tone of your voice just kept getting whiner and whiner. You knew with enough nagging she would give in. Anything to stop the horrible noise. 

“If it’s John, I’m leaving. I’m fucking done.” She didn’t take a liking to him. They usually sent Joey and Danny to his calls more than the other brothers. Something about Joey and John just cracked up Whitehorse. There was always something cruel lurking in his smile whenever John set his eyes on Joey. Crueler than the looks he gave you. 

Thank fuck you didn’t have to deal with that son of a bitch. You didn’t have the willpower to not shoot him if you had a gun. The comment he made at the cookout made it worse for you. Just when you thought you were being pulled into the Project, John Seed just ripped you right back out with his attitude. 

“If it is him, I’ll let you take the shot.” As soon as the comment left your lips, a sinister look glazed over Joey’s pale green eyes. Something about that man did something to her. And not a horny something. 

You both packed your gear and headed to the only patrol car. Pops only gave you a nod while you passed his office, throwing the keys at Joey when she waved. 

The trip to the Ranger station was rather short as Joey turned on the lights and sirens just to make this shit show go faster. She didn’t even stop at the red lights or stop signs. There wasn’t anyone to yield to, the only other car you saw was a small truck painted an awful white cream color with what appeared to be a Project at Eden’s Gate cross. Wait, they have vehicles now? For what purpose?

“Did you see that?” Joey looked confused as she turned her gaze from the road to you. 

“That truck that just passed, it was a Project at Eden’s Gate truck. It had their logo and everything!” Her eyebrows turned up as she adjusted the rearview to get a good look. It was faint, but the big ass cross was clearly there.

“Son of a bitch.” She hissed it out and lifted the radio from the dash to her lips.

“Whitehorse, we have a problem.” The radio crackled for a bit before Pops’ raspy voice sounded through. 

“Go ahead, Hudson.” 

“We just saw a Project at Eden’s Gate vehicle, do you want us to follow it?” The radio turned off again and a loud sigh was the only thing that came out. 

“Damn it. Don’t go after it. Just go see what the warden wants. I don’t get paid enough for this shit.” You both giggled as you shut off the radio. 

As you went further up the mountain, you both kept your eyes peeled for any more vehicles. There wasn’t any, and you wondered if you both were going crazy. Maybe it was your imagination or a hallucination. There were flowers around here that could do that. 

Joey had barely any time to park before the game warden stormed out of the ranger’s center. His fat face was bright red, and he seemed to be out of breath. “Thank the lord you’re here. We found more traps and rifle shells, but we can’t find who’s doing it.” Great, detective work. You lived in Hope County Montana, this wasn’t CIS Miami. 

You both made it out of the car and grabbed your equipment. You started on a trail with clear evidence with the warden following slowly behind. The shells stopped at a fork in the trail, so the obvious thing to do was split up. The warden went with Joey and you walked alone. 

If this hunter had a gun, there was no point in stopping him. You had pepper spray and a taser, you wouldn’t live very long. In all honestly, this was just great. You knew in your mind on who it was. It had to be Jacob. You would bet money on it. It was clear in the rather large boot prints in the mud on the trail. It was as if he wanted you to find them. You were simply a rabbit being caught in a wolf’s trap. 

Actually, that made sense. Glowing red eyes and a wolfish grin. He stared you down like a predator. Like he was ready to eat you. Jacob was far smarter than you were giving him credit for. Maybe John was the dumb one after all. He didn’t seem like the type to get his hands dirty outside. He was more of an inside person. Like an inside cat.

As you went deeper into the woods, you occasionally saw Joey on the opposite trail, usually down the slope of the mountain. She looked absolutely miserable as the game warden pulled out pictures of what appeared to his kids from his wallet, all while sweating profusely in the Montana sun. It was still summer and a full uniform wasn’t the best thing to be hiking in. 

It wasn’t long before you could hear rifle rounds and the howl of some sort of dog. Yep, it was definitely Jacob. He was kneeling behind a large fallen log with a red rifle held up to his eyes. With a crunch of your boot, he switched positions and pointed the gun at you. You held your arms up in surrender and then watched as he held up a scar covered hand, ordering you to stop. You stopped and looked over at the other side of the tree line, a rather large grey wolf stood just a few yards away from where you were standing. It sniffled the ground and lifted its head, its gold eyes staring you down. It was like looking into Jacob’s bright blue eyes. The eyes of a dangerous predator. One that would not hesitate to kill you if you messed with its pack. A true Alpha.

The wolf stalked closer before breaking out in a sprint, lunging in mid-air with its teeth and jaws ready. This was it. Mauled by a wolf. You just hoped your parents were ready to see you this early. What the fuck were you saying, you aren’t going to heaven. You belonged in hell.

You couldn’t help the tear that slid down your cheek from your (e/c) eyes. You waited for its teeth to pierce your jugular but it never came. A shot rang through the trees and the wolf let out one howl before it collapsed on the forest floor, dead. Its once grey and brown coat was stained red. You could only watch as the life drained from the creature’s eyes. That could have been you, you could have died. 

You looked over to Jacob. He lifted himself from the ground, his rifle leaning against the wood. He stretched as if nothing happened. He just killed a wolf, a fucking wolf! 

“What the fuck!!” You practically screamed as you shook from your spot. Jacob’s eyebrows turned up in confusion at your outburst. 

“That wolf almost killed me! You used me as bait, asshole.” He didn’t seem fazed by you as he grabbed his rifle, ready to walk away scot-free.

“Won’t be the last time.” His expression turned to one of boredom as he marched past you. What did that even mean?!

“Woah, big boy. You’re not going anywhere. You killed an endangered animal, you broke the law.” You knew whatever you said wouldn’t get through to someone like him. It was already pretty apparent that he was above the law. Just like John and Joseph. Breaking the law was nothing. 

“Does it look like I give a fuck, kitten?” His bored face never ceased as he pushed past you, heading back through the trail. 

Without hesitation, you grabbed the man’s arm and clawed at his skin. You didn’t seem to cause him pain, but he grew annoyed as your nails drew a bit of blood. His eyes flashed the familiar red color once again. The slight gasp of surprise that came out of your mouth caused a smirk to spread across Jacob’s red rash covered face. His ginger beard barely covered it. Goose bumps grew up your arm as you stared at his face. You were so dead. There was no way he would let you go after this. If they heard you hurt their brother, they would hunt you down. John would tie you up and do something ten times worse. He seemed like the sadistic type. Taking pleasure in someone else’s pain. He could really jerk off to that kinda stuff. 

“(Y/N)!!! Where are you!?” Joey!! Her voice carried from just behind a line of fir trees. You could barely make out a feminine shape along with the wide appearance of the game warden. 

“Joey, Joey I’m here! I have him!” You gave Jacob a smirk of your own as you called out. His face fell and returned to annoyance. Ha, now it’s my turn bitch.

“(Y/N)? Thank fuck you’re ok! We heard gunshots, and I thought the worst. Hey, you have him.” She was too busy doting over you to notice that you were clawing deep in Jacob Seed’s arm. One of the most ‘worshipped’ people in Hope County. 

It was hard to believe that the Seed’s only showed up a few months ago. When you first met them, it was like staring down the barrel of a gun. They glared at you and belittled you constantly. You’ve been to their sermons and were now tangled in their church shit. You had a physical and mental pull to them. No matter how much you wanted to deny it, there was no way. It wedged itself into your brain until it was something that took up your time and thoughts. There was always something else going on. Something wasn’t natural, and you knew it from the very beginning. Stealing that Book of Joseph really tipped you over the edge.

“Thank you for your help ladies, but I’ll take it from here. I’ll just take him back to the station and file the paperwork.” The warden just pulled up his belt and went to grab his handcuffs from the loop.

Jacob said nothing as he stared down the warden with his dead blue eyes. “We’ll take him. I think it’s fair that (Y/N) gets to arrest him if she caught him.” It must have been your imagination, but it seemed like Jacob slumped in relief when Joey said you would take him. It was hard to believe that a big bad wolf-like Jacob would be worried, at least slightly. 

“Fine, take him.” The warden’s face turned red again and marched off down the trail. 

You just shrugged and grabbed the handcuffs from your belt. This was your first arrest, it felt right. Even if it was Jacob. You brought both of his hands to his back and cuffed his wrists. You pushed the guy forward while Joey grabbed his rifle while looking at the wolf’s body with sadness. 

“Break the gun, and I’ll break your fingers.” This was the first you’ve heard this man genuinely angry. It came out as a growl that caused both you and Joey to flinch away. 

All three of you walked down the trail in complete silence. No one dared say a word after Jacob’s threat. He wasn’t someone to take lightly. That red rifle was obviously of some importance to him. You made a mental note to tell Pops to not keep it as evidence. You just wanted to keep your fingers. 

When you got to the patrol car, the sun was already setting, and the crickets were chirping. You opened the door for Jacob and he hopped in. Joey got in the driver’s seat and started the car, pulling out of the ranger station. You pulled out a copy of Joseph’s business card from your uniform pocket and dialed it on your phone. It rang before a sultry voice sounded from the other end. ‘Hello?’ Fuck, it was John. Of all the people that had to answer Joseph’s cell phone that wasn’t Joseph. It could have been a church member and it would have been significantly better. ‘John?’ You cursed yourself for sounding so timid and shy because the man practically purred into the phone when you said his name.

‘Deputy, how nice of you to call. If you wanted to confess what you did, we could have done it face to face, not over my brother’s phone. Very slothful of you.’ His voice alone made you want to vomit and hide at the same time. All you could do was swallow hard as you heard him go on. 

‘I wasn’t calling about that, asshole.’ That came out harsher than you wanted. ‘Now, now. Don’t let your wrath consume you.’

‘We have Jacob in custody, come down to the Sheriff’s office and get him.’ You looked back at Jacob to see that his head was facing the window, but his blue eyes were on you. He wore his typical bored expression as he looked you up and down. Nothing ever bothered him it seems. 

‘Damn it..’ John hissed and seemed to take the phone away from his ear. You could hear talking in the background, it seemed like that other voice was Joseph. It was calm and soothing like his typical voice.

‘We’ll be down there in five. Till then, deputy.’ “Well, Jacob. It seems like John's bailing you out.” The man said nothing except acknowledging you with a small grunt. You saw his eyes revert to the window from the rearview mirror. They no longer pierced through your skull. 

When you arrived at the Sheriff’s office, John’s blue mustang was already in the parking lot. Joey walked in before you with Jacob’s rifle while you pushed him through the front door into the lobby. John was leaning against the reception desk with a smirk on his face, casually flirting with Nancy. The woman was practically glowing from the attention. It wasn’t every day that the leaders of your religion came to visit you.

Joseph sat in one of the waiting chairs, reading a familiar white book as Pops’ watched over them from the hall’s door frame. “You can just uncuff him, (Y/N) His brother already paid bail.” You did as Pops asked and took out the key from your side pocket and uncuffed Jacob. He brought both of his red wrists up and rubbed them, his head and eyes focused on Joseph. “Jacob.” Joseph only said his name and got up, a bookmark firmly placed in between the pages. 

“John, please escort Jacob to the car.” John immediately stopped talking and focused his full attention on his older brother.

“Yes, Joseph.” He said it with such obedience. He was like a dog. Whatever Joseph said goes. Well, he was the craziest one. It seemed like defying him would invoke the wrath of God. 

As John moved past you, his tattooed hand briefly collided with your thigh. You jumped back and glared at the man. He said nothing, but Jacob of all people had an amused glint in his eyes, and the Alpha smirk from earlier resurfaced. What creeps. 

“Please, let me take you out to dinner. It’s the least I can do for the trouble my brother has caused.” No way absolutely not. You practically screamed inside your head. There was no way you would willingly eat dinner with Joseph mother-fucking Seed. The leader of a literal CULT! He could put some type of drug in your food while you weren’t looking. That isn’t even the worst of it. He could get ideas. But how could someone as holy as him give into the sin of lust? Ha, like that wouldn’t happen. 

You turned your (e/c) eyes over to Pops. Begging and pleading for him to do something, but he only gave you a look. A look that said you should do it. It was better for you to just accept the invite than to cause trouble by saying no. No matter how much it pained you. 

“I would be happy to.” The words were hard to say. It felt like you were being chocked into saying yes.

The smile he gave you was even worse. It was soft, but it held something... else. You couldn’t describe it. It was like a sort of lust. He was crazy. Absolutely bat shit insane and you had proof. It was all in that book of his. The problem was the number of people that would die for him, brothers included.


	6. Red Eyes, Red Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After you take Joseph Seed up on his offer for dinner, it becomes more than interesting. A conversation during dinner leads to even more questions about the cult. No one wants to see the truth about these people. An answer seems to be just beyond as the Seeds begin to show their true colors. They are definitely not what they seem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. I just wanted to give you another chapter before I start on new chapters from my other stories! Again, I am super excited about this one and I spend a lot of time thinking about new plot points for this. I hope you guys enjoy the constant update and sorry if it becomes annoying. Thank you all for your love and support while I write trash and sip tea. It means the world to me! And like always, give me some feedback on what I could do better or what I did alright, where you wanna see this whole mess go, or something you just don’t understand. I also really want to know what your theories are for the coming story. I always love reading your guys' analyses.

Joseph seemed pleased with the answer. It was very clear when he continued to smile that crazed smile a few seconds more. “We will pick you up after work. If you could give me your address Deputy.” There were a lot of fucked up things in that one sentence alone. We? As in all three of them? There was no way you could deal with one of them let alone all of them. Having dinner with Jacob, Joseph, and John Seed just seemed like a death sentence at this point.

The second was the fact that he needs your address. You didn’t want any members of their little group to stalk you at home. It was creepy to have them know where you work, but them coming to your house crossed a line. John seemed like the most stalker-ish, but Joseph came in at a close second if he was desperate. The only thing Jacob had an interest in was stalking his prey in either sense.

“Of course.” You made sure that your words sounded forced. It was like pulling teeth out as you told him. You looked over at Pops once you finished. He had an almost blank expression on his face. His hat was pulled down over his eyes; blocking them from showing any type of emotion or feeling.

“I will be waiting, Deputy Rook.” Just the way your last name rolled off his tongue made you feel unclean. You gave a weary smile Joseph’s way as he walked out of the station.

“You better be safe around them.” You looked back to see Pops’ sad expression. He curled his lips into a frown as he stroked his greying mustache in thought. You knew what he was thinking. The Seeds could try something. Corner you while you were vulnerable. Jacob knew about the book so he obviously told them.

Joseph was the brother you were most fearful of. You knew what John and Jacob were capable of, Joseph was the unknown. John had major anger issues and Jacob had no ounce of concern for anything. The only time you’ve seen Joseph in his element was at the sermon. He was a little unhinged but seemed alright when he offered to help look for your photo. You knew that was all a lie. He had problems. Just as problematic as the rest of his little followers.

“Keep me on speed dial, (Y/N).” It felt like more of a warning than advice. He was genuinely terrified it seemed. Pops had a nasty habit of shoving his emotions away. Most men in your life seemed to have this problem, except Staci.

“I swear, if they do anything fucked up, call me. I’ll kill them.” Joey could be threatening when she wanted to be. She seemed nice at first, but she wouldn’t hesitate to cut a bitch. Staci was the exact opposite. He tried to appear threatening but he couldn’t hurt a fly.

“Don’t worry, I can watch my own back.” You brushed past both of them, going straight for your office. You peeked inside to see that Staci was gone. His backpack wasn’t in its usual spot and the trashcan was full of those black monster cans. He must have left as soon as it turned 4. You brushed it off and got to your desk. You packed your duffle and turned off the computer, locking the door on the way out of the room.

You walked past the break room just in case Nancy brought the goods. Instead, Nancy and Danny were huddled near a table in the corner of the room without any donuts or coffee. Nancy’s face instantly lit up as soon as she saw you walk past.

“Sweetheart, I just heard! Aren’t you a lucky little duck, getting to have dinner with the Seeds!” She was way too excited for you. It was kinda creepy how wide her smile stretched. It was more of a wolfish smile than anything else. Danny didn’t appear to be in the same mood. He seemed to just stare off into nothing.

“Thank you, Nancy.” You brushed her off as quickly as possible and headed right into Pops’ office. It seemed like he was just about ready, anyway. He organized case files into his filing cabinet and logged off the computer.

“Ready, kid?” He asked, still not looking up at you.

“Yep.” You didn’t have the same type of enthusiasm as before. It was just dread. You just knew something was going to happen. It was bubbling up in your gut like a ball of anxiety. A type of feeling that made you want to vomit instantly. You just prayed to whatever God that would listen that you wouldn’t end up dying or being tangled into their little cluster fuck. The pull towards them wasn’t helping with this feeling, anyway.

You showered and dressed decently enough for dinner with the Seeds. There wasn’t a handbook out there about dealing with cult leaders. The only info you had was the Book of Joseph and that wasn’t much of anything other than the diary of a forty-something-year-old man. You had this odd mentality that if you dressed nicely for these people that they wouldn’t want to kill you. That could have been the case if it was just John. He seemed weak for something as simple as sex, which wasn’t to your advantage. Maybe this was the type of cult that sacrificed virgin women.

Just for some extra protection, you packed your can of military-grade pepper spray. It was in a pink bottle and claimed it was so cute it hurt. The only other form of protection you had was a pocket knife that belonged to your dad. It was rather simple with a green handle but the blade was special. It was steel, but they carved a silhouette of the Whitetails into it. He said it was one of the first gifts he got from your mom.

All you had to do now was wait. You sat on the couch across from Pops recliner as he flipped through channels. A commercial from Rye’s Aviation was on before he flipped to the next channel. Nick looked like a train wreck as he stumbled over his words, but as soon as he showed off Carmina he calmed right down. You swore Nick had two wives. Kim and the plane.

Out of nowhere, a loud knock rapped at the front door. Both you and Pops slowly turned towards each other in fear. A few seconds later another knock, this one was even louder. You slowly got up from the couch and walked to the door. You got up on your toes to see through the tall peephole in the door. Joseph stood outside on the porch with a black Chevy Silverado parked on the shoulder of the road. John nor Jacob was outside.

It felt just like going to a school dance. The child waiting impatiently on the porch as their date got ready, but this wasn’t a date. You were being forced to do this. The only thing you were going to do was eat and not pay. It was still kind for the man to pay, even if this was against the lady’s will.

You slowly opened the door to see Joseph’s beaming face. He looked far too happy. “Are you ready to go, Deputy?” He stretched out his hand for you to take. You looked at the hand and then his face. You hesitated before laying your fingers on the palm of his larger hand. His fingers wrapped around it, growing rather tight as he walked you to his truck. He opened the door to the back only to reveal John. His expression changing instantly when he saw you.

“Rook, what a pleasure. Scoot in, I don’t bite. Hard.” Your face twisted in disgust as he practically pulled you into the cab. You closed the door and watched as Joseph got into the driver’s seat. Jacob sat on the passenger’s side, having no interest in your appearance.

“John, she is our guest.” The command was said in such a way that made John back off. The same type of result that happened earlier. He was truly a dog following his master.

“Let Johnny have a little fun, Joe” Jacob spoke up as soon as John turned into a kicked puppy. He still had a look of minor amusement despite his brother’s punishment. Joseph just seemed rather annoyed with both of them, not that you blamed him. You were barely in the truck for five minutes and you already hated all of them and yourself.

What kind of mental state were you in to agree with this? Worst of all, why did Pops let you do this? Maybe it was in his ultimate plan to gather information. Being in a relaxing atmosphere like eating could cause a few things to slip. Maybe the obscene amount of dead wolves, or the massive structures being built all around the county. That piqued your interest the most.

Bunkers would be the most obvious thing to assume. These guys were not just any cultists, but doomsday cultists. The worst ones. There was talk about them buying scrap metal from people. A lot of it. They seemed to be building something, but it was far from finished. You saw tons of trucks loaded with metal going back and forth in Holland Valley alone. Who knows how big these would be or how many people this place could attract. The people you saw at the church weren't all of them. There had to be more, but where? They couldn’t just hide all those people. There had to be hundreds, maybe even thousands. These numbers alone were scary.

“We were thinking of the Grill Streak Diner for dinner. Would that be alright?” Bright blue eyes stared at you through the rearview mirror.

“Oh, yeah. That’s fine.” Nice, that sounded very genuine. The rest of the car ride was filled with nothing but awkward silence with the occasional cough. Surprisingly, John was the quietest after Joseph’s scolding. He didn’t even open his mouth, he just leaned on the door, looking out the window as the scenery passed by.

You did the same. Watching as the sky became darker, and the stars came out. This was the best part about Hope County. There was no light pollution from Missoula so the stars were always very visible. It was a very warm summer night; it made you want to go camping or have a fire. Sitting around with some marshmallows and ghost stories sounded like a dream come true.

You remember doing that sort of thing all the time with your parents. Your mother insisted that she stay inside while you and your father watched the stars and made s’mores. Even though he told the ghost stories, he always made you feel safe. You haven’t known safety like that in over 13 years. The feeling was like being wrapped in a giant blanket full of love and warmth. Pops made you feel this way, but not to this extent. He wasn’t blood-related to you. Even if you had that paternal bond, he couldn’t form a connection like your parents had.

These Seed siblings made you feel more alone and afraid than ever. All you felt was anger and bitterness that you couldn’t put your finger on. Yet, there was something. It was fluffy and lukewarm. It felt awful. You had to hate them and bury that strange feeling deep down inside. Whatever this was, you didn’t like it.

When you got to the Grill Streak, the place was packed. Rusted out cars and trucks filled the parking lot and you could hear the chatter from all the way outside. You got out along with the rest of them and walked just behind them to the entrance.

Joseph had someone place you at a table and urged you to scoot into the booth. He sat right next to you and John sat across along with Jacob.

What surprised you was the fact that Jacob barely fit into the booth. His wide shoulders were almost touching John’s which made you go sort of slack-jawed.

“Like what you see, girl?” Your cheeks were flushed with a deep red color from the comment. John let out a small chuckle and picked up a menu from the table. Joseph only gave a disapproving look as he took off his aviators and tucked them into his vest pocket. His eyes were just as blue now that they weren’t shaded in yellow. You had to give it to them, they all had some pretty blue eyes.

“Get whatever you want, Deputy. John will be paying.” Joseph turned his gaze towards his younger brother.

“I guess that means you owe me, hmm. A little confession would do wonders.” He was mocking you already and you haven’t even ordered your drinks yet.

“What can I get y'all to drink?” A very boisterous blond girl skipped her way to your table. She was subtle as she rearranged her chest for the Seed’s viewing pleasure. You let out a disgusted noise at the sight. You didn't blame her, there were three overly attractive men in front of her, you would have done the same thing to get a nice tip from the pretty rich boy over here.

“A beer.” Jacob was very blunt as Joseph shot him a dirty look. You had heard that The Project at Eden’s Gate was strict about substance use. Apparently, alcohol was a big no-no.

“A glass of lemon water, please.” Just what you expected from someone who claims to chat with God. Milk would have been your next guess.

“You know what, how about a beer for me, sweetheart?” John milked the attention as much as possible; sending a wink her way along with a playful smirk. The waitress just giggled as she wrote the orders.

“I’ll be right back with those, If you need anything, ask for Holly.” Holly scampered off as John watched her leave. What a creep. Every one of them screamed predator.

“I don’t believe I’ve asked for your name, Deputy. I am deeply sorry.” Damn, you were hoping he’d continue to just call you by your title. You had no desire for this man to know anything else personal about you. You could just give him a fake name, but that wouldn’t work. His brother was a lawyer for fuck sakes! He could find anything he damn well pleased about you. Especially when they already knew your last name was Rook.

“It’s (Y/N).” Joseph repeated the name, liking how it sounded on his tongue. The way he sounded out each syllable made you want to die. This was awful. Your name was the embodiment of yourself. To have that spoken by these men made you feel empty. More than you have been in a long time.

They just gave you a bad feeling every time you were near them. You didn’t get how people could see them as good. Especially the mayor, Virgil Minkler. It just goes to show how stupid people could be to fall for their tricks. How stupid you were to have this odd fascination with all of this.

“The table once again fell into silence, while you entertained yourself by looking at the fake wood pattern on the table. Drawing along the lines with your fingertip. Luckily, Holly, the waitress came back just in time with the drinks. She sat each one down with a smile and her brown eyes wandering to John as she sat his bottle of beer down with a glass mug. You could just grab it and hit him over the head. No one could stop you.

“Can I start you guys off with an appetizer?” Well, if John was paying might as well make the most of it. The one thing that you wanted was their famous beer-battered onion rings. They were to die for just as much as their bacon cheeseburger.

“A small salad with no dressing.” There it was. Proof that Joseph was a nut job. What kind of person eats a dry salad?! The crime that was being committed was just as bad as the watery mac and cheese. You had a definite feeling that Joseph was a terrible cook and both brothers seemed to have the same idea. Jacob said something about rabbit food under his breath and John’s face was molded into one of disgust.

“Can I have a basket of onion rings?” Holly only nodded and frowned, it seemed like you were competition to her. Not that you mind. You could go for dinner and a show, even if the entertainment was an angry blond bitch. You weren’t very picky.

As Holly walked off, John immediately berated his older brother on the lack of salad dressing, which was amusing in its own right.

“(Y/N).” You immediately turned your attention to your left side, still hating the sound of your name coming from him. “I don’t believe I asked you about the sermon you attended, what did you think? Are you willing to join Eden’s Gate?” There it was. You knew this wasn’t just an apology. He had another motive. Whatever he wanted from you would not happen. You were fine not worshipping anyone.

“I’m not a religious person.” You looked down at the table once again, trying to avoid Joseph’s piercing gaze as much as possible.

“I have many devotees that weren’t religious until they found the project. They looked past the lies and deceit and found the truth.” Lies. Everything was bullshit. Maybe in the beginning people saw something real, but now they were just gone. They were swimming in nothing but spun tales and false prophecies.

Joseph was playing off people's fear of the apocalypse in a form of mass hysteria. Even his own flesh and blood wasn’t safe. You said nothing and just continued to stare at the table, unwilling to give him any sort of hope of getting to you. You could feel his hand brush the side of your jean-clad thigh as you tried to move away.

“We’ll see.” That was the end of the conversation. You had no intention of going back and hearing another one of his ramblings. John seemed very excited to get his hands on you for whatever confession was. They would probably pass you around like a plate of food. Moving from one sibling to the next until all you could live for was them. They literally sucked the life out of you already. Your job was weighing heavily on you because of them. It made you rethink your life choices.

You never thought seeing a scantily clad blond would give you hope, but she did. Holly strutted her way to the table with the basket of onion rings and Joseph’s sad salad.

The smell coming off it was heavenly. It was oozing grease, and the crust was a golden brown. You reached over and plucked one from the red basket and basically chowed down. You almost moaned at the taste but held back. It was a great mixture of onion and Whistling Beaver Beer flavor.

“So, are we ready for the main course?” Holly tapped her pen on the notepad as she watched John read off his order.

“I’ll have waffles with strawberries and whip cream.” That was unexpected. You never took John for being a breakfast for dinner kinda guy. Especially with strawberries and whip cream.

“Porterhouse, rare. No seasonings with fries.” That seemed about right, but rare was what threw you off. You could never see Jacob ordering a rare steak, especially one made for two people. It made sense considering Jacob was massive. It wasn’t fat, it was definitely muscle.

“Can I please have the pulled pork sandwich?” Why did he have to be so nice all the time? It made you feel bad for hating on the guy. It felt wrong to hate someone you barely knew, but the book he wrote told the entire story. You’ve never seen him do anything wrong with your own two eyes, but you’ve read it.

“I’ll have the bacon cheeseburger.” Holly nodded and walked away once again while you continued to munch away at the onion rings. You were so enthralled with the food that you almost didn’t notice John’s hand reach into the basket and grab one. You were even ballsy enough to slap his hand away.

“Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, (Y/N). That’s another sin we can add to the list, gluttony.” It was almost a fucking threat the way he worded it. The smirk from before reappeared along with something else. Something dark glossed over his blue eyes. A look you’ve never seen on John Seed. He found joy in this, just as he felt joy in other people’s misery it seemed.

There was a rumor floating around that he reveled in the idea of pushing people out of their homes for the project. The smile on his face as he purchased farm after farm and house after house was described was as sinister. He wanted to do this, either for the good of his organization or himself was unclear. Thye believed they were doing God’s work, or whoever they worshipped.

Jacob wasn’t viewed as doing holy work. He reveled in it seemed. When people talked about him they were mostly referring to the hunting he did. The man seemed to like the thrill of the chase. The rush you get from chasing down your prey. He acted as head of security in a way.

“What do I have to care about? It isn’t like I enjoy your company anyway.” You got him there. You were here because they forced you.

The youngest Seed’s face twisted in annoyance. He seemed angry and the emotion he held in his eyes traveled to his face.

“Listen here you little brat…” Jacob of all people stopped him. He held his large, rash covered hand in front of his little brother’s face.

“That’s no way to treat a lady, John. I thought I taught you better and besides, the feisty ones are the best fuck. They always give a good fight.” This time Jacob had something worse to say. The man had less of a filter than John it seemed.

“Jacob! I expect this behavior from John, but from you!” Joseph kept his voice down, but he still managed to keep the whispers harsh. Jacob seemed quite proud of himself because the smile on his face seemed rather genuine. All three of them were absolute pigs. You just wished Holly would come with your food so you could leave. You didn’t know how long you could deal with this.

It just goes to show that Joseph had little confidence in John. He didn’t seem to meet his standards and the hurt expression he had confirmed it. From what you’ve seen of their records from the Rome police department, they didn’t have a good home life. Apparently, they were abused by their father and put into various foster homes and John was adopted, which explained the rich dead parents. He was like Batman but the exact opposite. He seemed to use his money for evil. Whether that be supporting his brother’s cult or taking people’s livelihood.

Well, that money was getting him something. The mustang and designer clothes weren’t proof enough, then the massive ranch overlooking Falls End was the icing on the cake. You made it a habit to drive past every day and watch its progress. It was absolutely stunning but the son of a bitch didn’t deserve it.

The brothers stopped arguing once the food arrived. You didn’t waste any time chowing down your burger, but you slowed down once you saw the blood drip out of Jacob’s rare steak and onto his fingers. His expression seemed to turn primal when he ate. It was as if he was starving. You could even see his blue eyes change to red for a split second. You tried to suppress the urge to jump, but it didn't happen. You flinched just slightly and Joseph seemed to notice but said nothing.

The silence continued between the four of you. John paid for dinner as he promised, with a small thank you from you. He actually smiled a tiny bit from the gesture. You would never thank that man again. This was a promise.

When Joseph parked outside your house, you tried to open the door only to find that it was locked. “Uh, Joseph. Can you please unlock the door?” He didn’t make a move to unlock it and only stared at you through the mirror.

Your eyes lock and the color changed to red just like his older brother’s. “I hope you consider my offer to join the project. We could wait out the collapse together, just as the voice promised. Just like how I want it with my brothers and sister.” With nothing else said, Joseph unlocked the door, and you ran out, not looking back until you locked the front door.

What the fuck was that? Now you knew something fishy was going on. All three of them changed their eye color. This wasn't natural. Something else was going on and you were going to find out what it was before they find a way to make you join. You weren't going down without a fight. Even if the collapse was real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, my love for onion rings is very apparent and I'm not sorry about it. It is a problem I don't wish to fix.


End file.
